From the origins of a brutal blood sport to squaring off against dangerous wild animals,
here are 11 truths about Roman gladiators
Number 11 Origin of the Gladiator The origins of gladiator combat can be traced
back to the 3rd century BC and it was initially part of funerals for the wealthy.
When Brutus Pera died, in 264 BC, his son had three pairs of gladiators fight to death
in Rome’s cattle market.
This was a “munus”, a commemorative duty owed by the descendant to the soul of a dead
ancestor.
It was also believed that blood purified the souls of the dead so the fights might have
been a substitute for human sacrifice.
Gladiatorial munera grew in popularity and before long gladiators were a part of state
games, known as “ludi”, held during religious festivals.
Number 10 Gladiator Oath “Uri, vinciri, verberari, ferroque necari”
which roughly translates as “I will endure to be burned, to be bound, to be beaten and
to be killed by the sword” was the gladiator’s oath.
Once a man uttered these words, he entered the ranks of Rome’s deadly showmen.
He would endure harsh training, living inside guarded barracks and the possibility of being
severely wounded or even killed in the arena.
Nevertheless, it was also an opportunity for people, of all classes, to make a name for
themselves.
Before we move on, answer this question.
Where does the term “gladiator” originate from?
a.
A sword b.
A location c.
An armor piece d.
A religious ritual Let us know what you think in the comments
section below and stay tuned to find out the right answer!
Number 9 Political Tool Gladiator combat eventually became an integral
part of life in Ancient Rome.
The line between munus, the funeral duty it began as, and ludi, games for public entertainment,
virtually vanished.
Trainers and school owners would make small fortunes while politicians would use the games
to earn the favor of Roman society.
Such was the case of Julius Caesar, who held games as a munus for his father, even though
he’d died about 2 decades earlier.
He used 320 gladiator pairs who donned silvered armor and offered the crowd an unprecedented
spectacle.
After the Roman Civil War, Emperor Augustus capped how much one could spend on a munus
and assumed Imperial authority over gladiator games.
From that point on, the grandest and most celebrated games would be state-sponsored
and associated with the emperor thus furthering his public recognition, approval and respect.
Number 8 Free Men and the Condemned A common misconception is that all of the
gladiators were slaves or convicted criminals.
By some estimates, almost a fifth of those taking part in the games were free men who
had voluntarily embraced a gladiator’s life.
They would sign contracts with gladiator schools fuelled by hopes of fame and fortune.
These free men included former soldiers who still craved the thrill of battle, people
who’d lost their inheritance, non-citizens, desperate men but also those in upper classes,
such as noblemen and senators, eager to prove their warrior prowess.
The bulk of the gladiatorial ranks did, indeed, consist of those “damnatio ad ludum” meaning
they were condemned to fight.
Those deemed most undesirable by Roman society were called noxii and, for them, being sent
to the arena was more of a death sentence than professional combat.
Number 7 Fight to the Death It’s believed that professional gladiators
were often trained to wound rather than to kill.
They were expensive to house, feed and train so their lanta, or school owners, weren’t
exactly eager to see them needlessly killed.
Those who fought in single combat were often of similar size and experience.
If they put on an entertaining show for the crowd, it wasn’t uncommon for both of them
to be allowed to leave the arena.
The arena’s spectators weren’t exclusively there out of bloodlust and, in fact, preferred
to watch highly skilled warriors competing against each other rather than a slaughter.
That being said, the life of a gladiator was typically short.
Most didn’t make past their mid-twenties or past 10 bouts in the arena.
Number 6 Theatrical Flair While the combat was very real and violent
for those fighting in the arena, the brutality was masked by a theatrical flair meant to
entertain crowds.
This meant re-enacting famous battles or feats of glory from Rome’s history.
For example, the hoplomachus was a gladiator made to resemble the Greek hoplite and was
often pitted against a murmillo, who was armed like a Roman soldier.
This was evocative of Rome’s battles in Greece.
The earliest gladiatorial types were inspired by Rome’s enemies at the time and included
the Thracian, Samnite and Gaul.
The Samnite, later renamed to secutor, was elegantly helmeted, heavily armed and probably
the most popular type.
There was also a choreographic element to combat which favored gladiators prolonging
the bout for the crowd’s entertainment rather than swift kills.
The lavish spectacles grew to include chariot battles, exotic animal hunts and more complex
fights involving a larger number of participants.
Number 5 Training Even though their lives were full of hardship,
gladiators were often well taken care of, particularly since they were regarded as an
investment.
They were regularly tended to by physicians and their high energy diet mostly consisted
of dried fruit, boiled beans, barley and oatmeal.
In a way that mirrors our contemporary treatment of professional athletes, those expected to
emerge victorious received more attention from the staff at the gladiatorial school.
Training was performed with wooden or blunted weapons and it was severe, as Roman gladiators
were expected to be at the peak of physical fitness.
Fighting styles were most likely learned through the constant practice of choreographed routines
until a novice rose through the ranks to become an experienced fighter.
Number 4 Learning how to Die Gladiators were expected to exhibit complete
bravery even in the face of certain death and to never cry out or ask for mercy.
This would count as a “good death” and redeem them from the dishonor of having lost
the bout.
It also provided a noble example of Roman virtue for those in attendance.
With their dignity intact, they would be carried off to the arena morgue with their bodies
dedicated to Libitina, the Roman goddess of burial and funerals.
Learning how to die with honor was actually a part of gladiator training.
If a wounded gladiator was brave, unflinching and defiant, as if he welcomed his opponent’s
blade, it increased his chances of being shown mercy by the crowd.
Those who didn’t retain their honor were killed by being stabbed through the neck or
between the shoulder blades and their bodies were humiliated.
They were dragged out of the arena and their corpses would sometimes be struck with mallets
or pocked with heated irons.
Number 3 Paradox of Status It’s a paradox that gladiators, who were
amongst the lowest social classes, were so celebrated and revered in Roman society.
Children had clay actionfigures of their favorite gladiators and their feats were the constant
subject of discussion, in circles ranging from inns to palaces.
Some rose to such fame that their names appearred on city walls and other public places.
Gladiators were also well-known for making women swoon, and their blood and sweat were
often sold as elixirs to wealthy women.
So, where does the term “gladiator” come from?
If you chose a, “a sword”, then you’re right.
The Latin word for the bladed weapon is “gladius” which means that gladiator can be translated
as swordsman.
Gladius also refers to the traditional short, double-edged sword once wielded by the Roman
foot soldier.
Number 2 Thumb Verdict The fate of a defeated gladiator was ultimately
left to the spectators who chanted for either mercy or death.
That being said, the famous thumb down verdict most likely had a different meaning in Ancient
Rome than condemning the gladiator to death.
It’s still uncertain what that meaning was but, according to some historians, the thumbs
up might have actually meant killing the gladiator while a closed fist with a wraparound thumb
could have meant sparing him.
The thumb down might have been the equivalent of “putting down the sword” meaning that
the crowd wanted the gladiator to live.
Number 1 Bestiarii There’s a distinction that’s typically
made between bestiarii and gladiators.
The latter category pitted humans, equipped with various weapons and armor, against each
other.
Bestiarii, on the other hand, squared off against wild animals such as lions, leopards,
tigers, bears, elephants, boars, wolves and other exotic beasts.
These creatures were usually brought to the arena from far away territories under Roman
rule.
There was a type of torturous capital punishment called “damnatio ad bestias” which translates
as “condemned to beasts”.
It was reserved for the worst criminals in Roman society, who were stripped naked and
forced to fend for themselves against wild animals.
Cicero wrote about one instance in which a single lion savaged over 200 bestiarii.
Then there was the type of bestiarii who were equipped and specifically trained as a beast
fighter.
They were taught animal behavior and various techniques on how to bring them down.
It was a dangerous trade and, according to Seneca, a proving ground for young men who
wanted to master their arms.
Sometimes, the beast fighters would be assisted by venatores, those who made a career out
of hunting wild animals in the arena.
Carpophorus was Rome’s most famous bestiarius.
He was so strong that he killed a rhino with a spear and, in a single battle, a lion, a
bear and a leopard.
He even fought during the opening of the Flavian Amphitheater, now known as the Colosseum.
Thanks for watching!
If you were to fight in the arena with only a shield and a sword, would you rather face
a heavily armored human opponent or a fully grown African lion?
Let us know in the comments section below!